Apparatus for cracking hydrocarbon oils



Fl T. MANLEY.

AP'PARMUS Fl'o CRACK|NGHYDR0CARB0N ons. APPLICATION FILED OC 10, 1917.

1,428,333 I Patented Sept. 5, 1922.

Patented Sept. 5, T922.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK T. MANLEY, 0F HOUSTON, TEXAS, ASSIGNORKTO THE TEXAS COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF TEXAS.

APPARATUS FOR ORACKING HYDROGARBON OILS.

Application led October 10, 1917.

T0 all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK T. MANLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing in Houston, Harris County, and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Cracking Hydrocarbon Oils, of which the following is a specification.

The apparatus constituting the subject matter of this application was designed by me as an efficient and convenient means for performing certain novel processes of cracking hydrocarbon oils invented by me and made the subject my separate applications for patents Serial numbers 195,775 and 195,776, filed October l0, 1917, but it is to be understood that this apparatus is not limited in its use to the carrying out of those particular processes. The novel features of construction and the novel methods of operation thereby permitted will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which- Figure 1 shows the apparatus partly in vertical section;

Figure 2 is' an enlarged section of a portion of the cracking still showing scraping means therein.

Referring to the drawing, a cracking still 4, with suitable supports 9, is heated intermediate its ends in a furnace 1, having a baffle wall 3, burner 2, and stack 13. A vapor line 5, extends from the upper portion of the cracking still above the heating zone to an air condenser 6. A conduit 7, reaches from the air condenser directly to the lower portion of the cracking still below the heating zone in order to return condensed material. 8 is a valved draw-oif pipe at the bottom of cracking still 4. The still is preferably equipped with a supply pipe 10 entering the horizontal section of the conduit 7, whereby the introduction of the oil charge is caused to produce an injector effect by which the condensate in the pipe 7 is forced into the bottom of the still. The supply pipe has a check valve 11 of any well known form.

A vapor pipe line 15 extends from the air condenser 6 to a water condenser 28, the outlet from the water condenser 28 being fitted with a valve 29. 16 denotes a pressure gauge on the air condenser to indicatethe vapor pressure therein. 17 and 18 designate recording thermometers in the air condenser Serial No. 195,774.

and cracking still, and 19 and 30 furnace pyrometers. A gauge 14 for indicating the liquid level in the still 4 is situated at the `upper part thereof. In this form of apparatus the hydrocarbonfoil in the cracking still 4 form an extended vertical column and as the oil charge and condensate is forcibly supplied near the bottom it passes upward through the column and is cracked in its passage. f

In order to keep the inner surface of the cracking still clean and prevent the .collecttion of material on that surface I preferably provide the device with scraping means shown in detail in Figure 2. The scraping means includes a shaft 24 extending centrally down into the cracking still and engaging any suitable bearing at the bottom. This shaft carries steel brushes 25, brushes being secured to the shaft by the rods 27, around which are placed coiled springs 26 to yieldingly press the brushes lagainst the inner surface of the still 4. The shaft 24 may be driven through a worm gear 21 from the shaft 22. In order to support the shaft at its upper end I preferably mount a pipe 2O in `the upper end of the sill 4 slightly larger in diameter than the shaft 24, and at the upper end of this pipe 20, I place a stuffing box, 23. The purpose of this pipe 2O is to place the stuffing boX in a relatively cool position. The brushes in the tube 4 are placed only in the cracking zone which, as illustrated in Figure 1, is between the parts marked 4'h1 and 4b.

The heating arrangements of the furnace are such that the hot combustion gases pass upward from the burner 2 between the furnace wall 1, and baffle 3, until they are deected by the top wall of the furnace into the heating chamber formed by the ba'liie 8 and in which chamber is the cracking still. The hot gases pass downwardly imparting heat to the cracking still, and nd eXit at 31 to and through the stack 13. The upper and lower ends of the cracking still preferably extend beyond the heating Zone.

As an illustration of the method of use of my apparatus I may charge the still 4 with the hydrocarbon oil which it is desired to crack through pipe 10, the liquid level of the oil being maintained at a point above the heating Zone, in the upper portion of the still. The hydrocarbon. may be heated to a temperature of from .650 to 800 F. and a suitable pressure may be maintained by means ot valve in the condenser outlet. The temperature and pressure may be varied in accordance with the character 01"' oil treated and o' the products desired. l may use a pressure as high as SOO lbs., but ordinarily the pressure used is not beloiv lo() lbs. lfapors generated in still d pass directly through vapor line 5 to air condenser G, Where the heavier constituents, ordinarily predominantly et the lrerosene type, are condensed, While the lighter constituents, ordinarily predominantly ot the gasoline type, pass through vapor line l5 to Water condenser 2S, andare con ensed. The hydrocarbons condensed in an.' condenser G are directly returned tor futher decomposition through pipe 7 to the bottom ot still e, and are forced into and through the coluinn et l'iydrocarbon maintained there.

lin another method of use oit my apparatus l may charge the still with resieuum or other heavy hydrocarbon oil through pipe 32 and heat it to produce the desired. craching temperature, which may ordinarily vary from 6500 to 8000 F. l may then introduce a lighter' hydrocarbon oil oit loiver boiling point, Which it is desired to craclr, such as kerosene distillate or gas oil, through supply pipo l0, the lighter oil being decomposed in its passage through the heavier oil. The vapors pass trom still et through vapor line 5 to an air condenser 6, Where heavier constituents thereof are condensed, the lighter vapors such as those of the gasoline orina-phe tha type passing through vapor line l5 to Water condenser 28. The hydrocarbons condensed in air condenser 6 iioiv back through pipe 7 to the bottom of still is and are 'forced through the column ot heated hydrocarbon oil maintained therein :tor turther decomposition by an ejector action due to the in- Ward ioiv oit fresh oithrough the pipe l0. Any desired pressure may be maintained in the system by manipulation ot valve 29 on the condenser.

lt is readily apparent that my apparatus is adapted for other methods oi: operation.

lVhat l claim and desire to secure by Letters patent is:

l. Apparatus it'or cracking); hydrocarbon oils comprising a relatively tall vertical still, means for introducing a heavy oil and maintaining it at a substantially constant level in said still, means tor heating the still intermediate its ends to maintain the heavy oil therein at a cracking temperature, a separator connected to receive vapors 'from the top et the still, a condenser connected to the separator, a liquid return pipe connected directly :trom the separator to the bottom of the still, and means lor forcing the liquid from the return pipe through the body of the heavy oil in the still.

2. Apparatus tor cracking hydrocarbon oils comprising a relatively tu ll vertical still, means lor introducing a high boiling point iydrocarbon oil and maintaining it at a substantially constant level in the still, means tor heating the still to maintain the oil at a cracking temperature, a separator connected to receive vapors 'trom the top oit the still, a condensate return line connected directly trom the separator to the bottom ot the still, and means tor orcing the condensate from the return line through the body ot oil in the still.

3. Apparatus `tor cracking hydrocarbon oils comprising a relatively tall vertical still,

introducing a heavy oil and maintaining it a substantially constant level in said still, means for heating` the still intermediate its ends to maintain the heavy oil therein at cracking temperature, a separator connected to receiif'e vapors from the top of the still, a condenser connected to the separator, a liquid return pipe connected directly 'from the separator to the bottom et the still, and an inlet connection tor torcibly supplying tresh oil into the return pipe near the still to torce the liquid from the return pipe with the Ltresh. oil through the body Ot oil in the still.

d. lpparatus tor cracking hydrocarbon oils comprising a still, means for introducing a high boiling point hydrocarbon oil and maintaining` it at a substantially constant level in the still, means for heating the still to maintain the oil at a cracking temperature, a separator connected to receive vapors trom the top of the still, a liquid return line connected directly from the separator to the bottoni oit the still, and an inlet connection Yfor forcibly supplying fresh oil into the return pipe near the still to torce the liquid Yfrom the return pipe with the fresh oil through the body oit oil in the still.

5. Apparatus 'jor crac ring hydrocarbon oils comprising a still, a charging line at the bottom, a vapor line at the top, a separator to which the vapor line is connected, a liquid returnpipe connected directly from the bottom egt the separator to the bottom et the still, a second charging line leading into the return line near the still, and dis charging thereinto in the direction of flow oit oil therethrough, adapted to torce the liquid from the return line through the body of oil in the still.

6. Apparatus iter cracking hydrocarbon oils comprising an elongated vertical still, means surrounding thestill intermediate its ends for subjecting the contents thereof to a cracking temperature, means for introducing oil into the bottom ot the .still and below the heating zone and maintaining a substantially constant level therein, means connected to the vapor space above the level of the oil in the still 'for receiving the evolved vapors and separating out the `um converted portions, means for directly returning said unconverted portions from said separating means to the bottom of the still below the heating zone and for forcing lthem upwardly through the entire body of the heated oil in the still, and means operated during the cracking operation for removing carbon deposited on the walls of the still and permitting it to gravitate out of the beating zone.

7. Apparatus for cracking hydrocarbon oils comprising anelongated vertical still, a furnace surrounding the still intermediate its ends for imparting a cracking heat hereto, means for receiving the evolved vapors and separating out the unconverted portions, and means directly connecting` the separating means and the bottom of the still and including a device located adjacent to lower end of the still and traversed by fresh charging oil for forcibly injecting the separated condensate into the still in conjunction with the fresh oil.

8. Apparatus for cracking hydrocarbon oils comprising a vertical still maintained under pressure, a furnace surrounding the still intermediate its ends for heating the oil therein to a cracking temperature, a pipe for supplying oil under pressure to the bottom of the still, means connected to the vapor space of the still for separating out the heavier constituents of the evolved vapors, and a return pipe directly connected from said separating means to said supply pipe for returning the condensate to the bottom of the still, said return pipe having a lJ-bend at the point of condenser with said supply pipe.

9. Apparatus for cracking hydrocarbon oils comprising a cracking still maintained under pressure, means for heating the still intermediate its ends to a cracking temperature, a pipe for supplying a stream of charging oil under pressure into the lower end of the still, means for receiving the evolved vapors and separat-ing out the heavier constituents thereof, a return pipe directly connecting the separating means and said supply pipe for returning the condensate to the bottom of the still, and means for positively forcing the condensate into the charging oil traversing said supply pipe.

In testimony whereof I do affix my signature.

FREDERICK T. MANLEY. 

